22 workers killed in Al Ain road collision

Dubai, February 4, 2013

At least 22 people were killed when a truck laden with gravel collided with a bus carrying 46 Asian migrant workers in the oasis town of Al-Ain in the United Arab Emirates, police said on Monday.

The truck driver lost control of his vehicle, causing it to land on top of the bus and trap its passengers under the cargo of gravel, police said of Sunday's incident.

Twenty-four people were injured, at least five critically, officials from two hospitals in Al-Ain said. The police did not disclose the nationalities of the dead, but Dubai-based Gulf News daily reported they were mostly from Bangladesh.

The per capita death toll on UAE roads is among the highest in the world, according to World Health Organisation data. The UAE is a federation made up of seven emirates that include trade and tourism hub Dubai and oil-rich Abu Dhabi.